Rail fastener



O Ct 5, 1965 w. H. VAN DERVEER 3,210,006

RAIL FASTENER Filed DGO. 4, 1965 INVENTOR. WML/AM H M4N Dim/ff@ ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,210,006 RAIL FASTENER William H. Van Derveer, 120 Hillcrest Ave., Somerset, N .J Filed Dec. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 328,024 4 Claims. (Cl. 23S-314) My invention relates to rail fasteners generally and specifically to a rail fastener adapted to secure a Wide variety of rails to any kind or design ties without penetrating the tie with spikes, nails, pins, studs or the like.

The average wooden rail tie has a relatively short life due primarily to the necessity to penetrate surface of the tie With spikes adapted to secure rail anchors in place. Once the structural integrity of the tie has been invaded, Water,ice, oils, chemicals and the like cause the tie to rapidly rot, split or otherwise deteriorate and distintegrate. The replacement of ties is extremely time consuming and costly. Moreover, as the tie progressively deteriorates, the position and stability of the rail becomes impaired endangering rail traffic.

In addition to tie deterioration and replacement due to impaling with spikes and the like, there is the added consideration of the concrete tie which is becoming more popular today for certain uses. Of course, it is next to impossible to impale a concrete tie with a spike since such spikes are easily loosened due to vibration. Commonly, when cement tiles are employed, studs, bolts, pins and the like must be first imbedded within the soft, unset concrete to provide anchor means for the rails. Of course, such studs, pins, anchors and the like are invariably fabricated of metal which is subject to corrosion as well as breakage. When corrosion or breakage render the spiker pin, anchor or the like useless, the tie becomes useless and must be replaced.

Therefore, it is among the objects and advantages of my invention to provide a rail fastener which is secured to the tie by interlocking engagement of cooperative parts Without impaling the tie with spikes, pins, studs or the like impairing its structural integrity and reducing its useful life.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rail fastener which may be adjusted to accommodate to a large variety of different size ties.

A further object of my invention is to provide a rail fastener which employs as a cooperative part thereof a rail anchor commonly employed in the industry today.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a rail fastener which may be quickly and easily both attached and detached to both the tie and the rail by the mere manipulation of a locknut.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a rail fastener, the component parts of which may be interchanged and replaced should they wear or be damaged.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide a rail fastener which may be employed on Wooden, concrete, steel or any other type of tie without damaging or otherwise impairing the structural integrity of the same.

These objects and advantages as Well as other objects and advantages may be achieved by my invention one embodiment of which is illustrated in the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is an end elevational, partially crosssectional View of a rail resting on a tie secured in place thereon by my rail fastener.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational, partially broken away view of a rail, a tie and my rail fastener shown in FIG- URE l.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, my rail fastener comprises a pair of interlocking base plates 11 and 12. Base plate 11 comprises a horizontally disposed bottom 3,210,006 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 member 13 having a plurality of serrations 14 on the bottom thereof. Formed integrally with the bottom member 13 is a side plate 15 extending vertically at right angles thereto. The side plate 15 is provided a generally circular enlargement 16 convexly facing in a direction opposite the tie 25. The enlargement 16 is provided with a central opening 17.

The cooperative base plate 12 is similarly comprised of a horizontally disposed bottom member 18 having a plurality of serrations 19 on the top side thereof. Formed on the bottom member 13 is a side plate 20 extending vertically at right angles thereto. The side plate 20 is provided with a generally circular enlargement 21 convexly facing in a direction opposite the tie 25. The enlargement 21 is provided with a central opening 22. In addition, the bottom member 18 is provided with a pair of opposed, generally parallel, inwardly extending, generally U-shaped edges 23, 23. The edges 23, 23 are formed by folding the bottom member 18 over upon itself to define parallel channels 24, 24.

In operation, base plates 11 and 12 are applied to the tie 25 by positioning the respective bottom members 13 and 18 thereunder, bottom member 13 being dimensioned to slide within channels 24, 24 defined by the U-shaped edges 23, 23 of the bottom of the bottom member 18. The channels 24, 24 are sufficiently wide to permit the serrations 14 and 19 on the respective bottom members 13 and 18 to easily slide over one another. However, as the Weight of the tie falls upon the bottom members 13 and 18, the serrations 14 and 19 mesh with each other and form an interlocking grip such that the base plates 11 and 12 cannot separate. It should be noted that the base plates 11 and 12 may be applied to the tie before posi* tioning the tie in the roadbed or may be slipped beneath the tie after it has been positioned in the roadbed. In addition, the interlocking serrations 14 and 19 provide lateralyadjustment between the base plates 11 and 12 to accommodate ties 25 having widely varying widths.

The rail 26 is held against movement on the tie 25 by means of a pair of opposed rail anchors 27, 27. Each anchor 27 comprises a relatively rigid generally U-shaped member 28. The upper leg 29 of the U-shaped member 28 is shorter than the bottom leg 30 thereof. The U- shaped member 28 is provided with an internal rib 31 extending beneath shorter leg 29 and above longer leg 30. The rib 31, `which is relatively shallow in depth, engages the bottom of a standard track shoe 47 positioned beneath the bottom flange 32 or base of the rail 26. The rib 31 on the upper and shorter leg 29 of the U-shaped member 28 extends over the top bottom flange 32 of rail 26. The end of the longer leg 30 is provided with an end flange 33 extending vertically upwardly from the leg 30 and generally parallel to the longitudinal edge of the rail 26. The top of the short leg 29 of the U-shaped member 2S is provided with a stiffening flange 34.

A mounting plate 35 is welded to the U-shaped member 28 of each anchor 27. The mounting plate 35 is provided with a slot 36 to accommodate the stiifening fiange 34 on the top of the U-shaped member 28 of the rail anchor 27. The slot 36 insures a stronger Weld between the plate 35 and the rail anchor 27.

Each plate 35 is provided with a hole 37. A mounting rod 38 extends through the hole 37 in the plate 35. The mounting rod 38- comprises a straight portion 39 which extends through the hole 37 and the plate 35 and from thence downwardly to the side plate 15 or 20 of the respective base plates 11 and 12. Formed integrally with the straight portion 39 is a 90 degree offset portion 40 having a rivet head 41 on the end thereof. The diameter of the rivet head 41 is somewhat less than the diameter of the opening 17 or 22 in the enlargement 16 or21 'on the respective side plates and 20 so that the head 41 can pass therethrough. However, the head 41 denes an annular flange 42 which is adapted to engage the inside surface of the enlargement 16 or 21 to prevent disengage ment of the rod 38 from the respective side plates 15 and 20 as the rod 38 is pulled upwardly. The opposite end of the rod 38 is provided with threads 44. The rod 38 is pulled upwardly by tightening a hex-nut 43 engaged to the threads 44 on the end of the rod 38. Pressure is transmitted from the hex-nut. 38 to a flanged bushing 45 extending through the hole 37 and the plate 35. By tightening up on nut 43, the plate 35 forces the rail anchor 27 against the rail so that the rib 31 tightly engages the flange 32. Since the anchor 27 is dimensioned so that the longer leg 38 of the U-shaped member 28,is just long enough to permit engagement of the upstanding ange 33 with longitudinal edge of the rail 26 when the anchor 27 is securely positioned. Simultaneously, tightening nut 43 places the rod 38 under tension pulling diagonally upwardly against the respective side plates 15 and 20 of the base plates 11 and 12, firmly engaging the same to the tie 25. Of course, the serrations 14 and 19 on the respective bottom members 13 and 18 of base plates 11 and 12 prevent the said bottom members from sliding one over the other. Moreover, the said serrations permit adjustment to accommodate to ties having widely varying widths. In order to insure that the hexnut 43 will not work loose from vibration, a locknut 46 is provided.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present :invention; these substitutes are contemplated as being Within the scope of the appended claims, although they are not specifically catalogued herein.

I claim:

1. A rail fastener adapted to secure a rail having a base ange to a tie comprising:

(a) a pair of base plates mounted on opposite sides of the tie,

(b) a bottom on each base plate extending beneath the tie, the bottom of one base plate extending at least partially over the bottom of the opposite base plate, the overlapping base plates resting on a road bed supporting the tie,

(c) a generally U-shaped rail VVanchor engaged to each opposed lateral edge of the baseilange on the rail on opposite sides of the tie,

(d) a mounting pla-te secured to each rail anchor,

(e) a rod connecting each base plate and the mounting plate on the anchor on the same side of the tie, and

(f) means for placing each rod under tension.

2. .A rail fastener adapted to secure a rail having a base flange to a tie comprising:

(a) the structure in accordance with claim 1, and

(b) means for increasing sliding friction between the bottoms of the respective base plates.

3. A rail fastener adapted to secure a rail having a base flange to a tie comprising:

(a) the structure in accordance with claim 1, and

(b) cooperative, interlocking means on adjacent surfaces of the said bottoms.

4. A rail fastener adapted to secure a rail having a base ange to a tie comprising:

(a) the structure in accordance with claim 1, and

(b) a plurality of serrations on the adjacent surfaces of the said bottoms, the serrations being generally parallel to each. other and the side of the tie.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 314,757 3/85 Van Orden 238321 X 685,996 11/01 Littleiield 238-64 806,453 -12/05 Bea-lor 238-64 1,697,398 1/ 29 Metcalf 238-338 X 2,411,629 11/46 Lane 287-205 FOREIGN PATENTS 647, 700 8/ 62 Canada.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE G. BOTZ, Examiner. 

1. A RAIL FASTENER ADAPTED TO SECURE A RAIL HAVING A BASE FLANGE TO A TIE COMPRISING: (A) A PAIR OF BASE PLATES MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE TIE, (B) A BOTTOM ON EACH BASE PLATE EXTENDING BENEATH THE TIE, THE BOTTOM OF ONE BASE PLATE EXTENDING AT LEAST PARTIALLY OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE OPPOSITE BASE PLATE, THE OVERLAPPING BASE PLATES RESTING ON A ROAD BED SUPPORTING THE TIE, (C) A GENERALLY U-SHAPED RAIL ANCHOR ENGAGED TO EACH OPPOSED LATERAL EDGE OF THE BASE FLANGE ON THE RAIL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE TIE, (D) A MOUNTING PLATE SECURED TO EACH RAIL ANCHOR, (E) A ROD CONNECTING EACH BASE PLATE AND THE MOUNTING PLATE ON THE ANCHOR ON THE SAME OF THE TIE AND (F) MEANS FOR PLACING EACH ROD UNDER TENSION. 